Health officials in Thailand have said there is a need for more testing, as coronavirus official numbers significantly decrease.
In an announcement made today, spokesman Taweeslip Wissanuyothin said that his team is “dissatisfied” with Thailand’s current testing capacity. He continued:
“Currently, our capacity in both the private and public sector in Bangkok and its metropolitan areas can test around 10,000 samples per day, and in other provinces, another 10,000 samples per day – making total 20,000 samples per day nationwide.”
However, samples do not represent actual testing and the real figures could be significantly lower.
Like many countries, Thailand is struggling to provide widely accessible testing, limiting tests for people who display obvious symptoms of coronavirus.
However, this throws up multiple issues, particularly considering that many people can contract the infection without displaying any obvious signs.
This makes the official tallies which are reported daily likely to hugely understate the true number of people in the country who have contracted the infection.
The only way to gain better data is to provide widespread, free testing for everyone.
However, with private hospitals charging covid-19 patients bills in excess of 100,000 baht, it seems likely that people will not get tested even if Thailand gains the capacity to conduct more tests.
Source: Coconuts | Photo: Thai Enquirer
